SBIR Phase I: A Compact Home Power Generator using a Free-Piston Engine

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是销售负担得起的备用发电机，提供23千瓦的电力，用于家庭照明和家用电器的运行。随着自然灾害导致的停电和电网老化的日益频繁，以及社会不仅越来越依赖电力为灯和家用电器供电，而且计算机、无线路由器和医疗设备也越来越依赖电力，备用电源的需求越来越迫切。这种SBIR的便携式发电机预计将比现有发电机的立方体大小和重量小一个数量级以上，所有这些都以更低的成本实现。该项目更广泛的影响是，通过以高燃料效率(即更少的非可再生化石燃料消耗)和低碳氢化合物、颗粒物、一氧化碳和烟雾排放来提供后备电力，从而对环境产生重大好处。可用的备用发电机要么体积小，价格实惠，但只能为一台电器供电；要么能够为家庭的大部分需求供电，但笨重和昂贵。该项目将展示实施自由活塞内燃机的潜力，这种内燃机将最大限度地提高燃料效率，最大限度地减少尺寸，减少对润滑油的依赖，并纳入发动机管理系统。目前工作的目标是发动机，而正在运行的紧凑型发电机将在下一阶段开发。在这种自由活塞发动机设计中，两个活塞在力平衡的情况下振荡，减少了活塞的侧负荷，从而产生了一台耐用的高速发动机。试点工作包括改装气缸进气口；在气缸盖上增加改进的挤压带和圆顶；使用低摩擦轴承材料，成功地生产出使用普通汽油的原型。工程师们将继续实施、测试和改进这些修改。该项目的成功完成将产生一种高效、紧凑、低重量和低排放的发电机，该发电机可产生23千瓦的可用功率，运行在标准的泵式汽油上。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to sell affordable backup generators that provide 23 kilowatts, for operating a home's lights and appliances. With power outages due to natural disasters and an aging power grid becoming ever more frequent, and with society increasingly reliant on electricity to power not only lights and household appliances, but also computers, wireless routers, and medical devices, back-up power is an increasingly critical need. This SBIR's portable generator is expected to be more than an order of magnitude lower cubic size and weight, all at a reduced cost compared to existing generators. The broader impact of this project is its significant benefits to the environment by providing backup power at high fuel efficiency (i.e. less consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels) and low emissions of hydrocarbons, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and smoke.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to address the shortcomings of residential-use backup generators currently on the market. Available backup generators are either small and affordable but can only power a single appliance; or able to power most of a home's needs but cumbersome and expensive. This project will demonstrate the potential for implementing a free-piston internal combustion engine that will maximize fuel efficiency; minimize size; decrease dependence on lubricating oil; and incorporate an engine management system. The objective of the current effort is the engine, while the functioning compact generator will be developed in the next phase. In this free-piston engine design, the two pistons oscillate with forces in balance and reduced side-loads to the pistons, yielding a long-lasting high-speed engine. The pilot work included modification of the cylinder intake ports; addition of a modified squish band and dome to the cylinder head; and use of low-friction bearing materials yielding a successful prototype that runs on regular gasoline. The engineers will continue implementing, testing, and improving on these modifications. The successful completion of this project will yield an efficient, compact, low-weight, and low-emissions generator that produces 23 kilowatts of usable power that runs on standard pump gasoline.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.